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Dog and Serpent

Artist
Rufino Tamayo, Mexican, 1899–1991
Date
1943
Material
Oil on canvas
probably made in
New York, New York, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Paintings
Collection
Modern and Contemporary Art
Current Location
On View, Gallery 212
Dimensions
34 1/8 x 44 1/4 in. (86.7 x 112.4 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Morton D. May
Rights
© 2020 Tamayo Heirs / Mexico / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Object Number
234:1954
NOTES
A short dog bares its teeth in a rocky landscape, ready to pounce on a fanged serpent. Rufino Tamayo modeled this native Mexican hairless dog after a type of canine-shaped funerary vessel made in ancient Mesoamerica. The painting’s impending struggle between two wild animals is a veiled reference to World War II (1939–1945). Tamayo made this work in New York City, where he lived during the war and became keenly aware of the conflict and its cost to human life.
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